Welcome to Texas justice: You might beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Prison guards' blog: No more adult prison transplants to TYC; Is TDCJ-OIG asleep at the switch?

I swear if I knew how to hack into The Back Gate's new website and give their front-page articles permalinks, I'd have done it weeks ago, no doubt. I'd drive up to Huntsville and beg if I thought it would help. But in the meantime, I can only suggest you go read TBG's top article right now, pithily headlined:

Officer's are sleeping with inmates. Prison based violence is up statewide, drugs muled in by employees. Guess where TDCJ OIG will be this holiday season. If you guessed passing out car theft prevention information to the public at businesses, you guessed right!

With a title that specific, I don't have to tell you what the article is about, just go read it.

Another headline a couple of articles below will also interest Grits readers concerned about the Texas Youth Commission:

TYC Admin told to stop hiring TDCJ employees

If it's true, I guess better late than never. According to anonymous sources cited in the piece:

In no uncertain terms, TYC admin have been told to stop hiring their administrators from TDCJ. This request, which was said to have been directed towards current TYC director Demtria Pope's office ties in with the obvious halt in hiring from the adult prison agency by the TYC. The source, which has direct knowledge of the news, confirms that legislators, and others in high places have made the request based on the past incidents that have occurred within the TYC with TDCJ transplants.

Nothing like anonymous blog rumors to stir the pot, is there? Good stuff, TBG! Let's just get these articles some permalinks!

40 comments:

Anonymous
said...

this may be to little to late, they need to send some of the transplants packing especially the humpster who intial promise to everyone was that he would stand before any court in the land. Now that he is actually having to do it I doubt he likes it much.

While the Texas Youth Commission is concerned about the quantity of new staff, there are also concerns about their quality. One major hire has already sparked great controversy. Early in October, Brent Rumbo became the new principal at Crockett State School, after passing the new background and fingerprint checks. However, just because Rumbo had no criminal record it did not mean he was free of serious allegations.

Prior to joining TYC, Rumbo was asked to resign as principal of Navasota High School by the Navasota Independent School District following a string of incidents, including claims he had chased students with an axe (a Grimes Co. grand jury no-billed him on that charge). But he was also hit with serious allegations when he was principal of Winona High School in East Texas. On May 17, 2006, a 17-year-old student blew most of his left hand off while tightening the cap on a 2-inch gunpowder-stuffed metal pipe bomb. At the time, Rumbo said the school did not know about the bomb and that explosives were not allowed on campus. However, members of the school community, speaking confidentially, said the school not only knew about the bomb, but that it was part of a physics class. They said Rumbo was aware of these experiments and the construction of a homemade cannon in the same class.

TYC spokesman Jim Hurley confirmed that the agency knew about the allegations but stood by the hiring of Rumbo. "We reviewed them carefully, but there were no charges filed; he was not arrested or indicted. We cannot unhire him on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations," Hurley said.

But even without a criminal record, the Texas Civil Rights Project was concerned about whether Rumbo was qualified to be principal. The post requires five years of classroom teaching experience, and Rumbo counted four years of teaching track as a graduate assistant in college toward that total in his application. "We don't think that would qualify as classroom teaching experience under TYC's own policies," said project attorney Scott Medlock. He said he was concerned that the claims from Rumbo's time at Navasota and Winona had been insufficiently investigated, adding, "These are allegations that TYC has to take seriously, and they seemed to have just taken Rumbo's word for it."

In no uncertain terms, TYC admin have been told to stop hiring thier administrators from TDCJ. This request, which was said to have been directed towards current TYC director Demtria Pope's office ties in with the obvious halt in hiring from the adult prison agency by the TYC. The source, which has direct knowledge of the news, confirms that legislators, and others in high places have made the request based on the past incidents that have occured within the TYC with TDCJ transplants. Previous TYC head Ed Owens, who spent his entire career within TDCJ, was trying to staff the reconstructed TYC with troubled TDCJ administrators. After we broke a story that was iniated by a TYC insider that revealed Owens intentions of hiring those administrators to staff TYC admin slots, those positions were never filled.

Now that TYC has been embroiled with the "Bronco" Billy Humphrey fiasco for the past few weeks, it has never been more clear that legislators have had enough. As most of you know, Humphrey, an ex-TDCJ senior warden placed as asst. director for TYC allegedly intentionally ignored a courts order that was to stop the use of pepper spray on TYC facilities. Later the Grits for Breakfast blog obtained emailed documents from Humphrey to subordinate staff stating that the order was to be basically disregarded,training should be continued with the mace and that the mace should still be used. That struck a nerve with many advocacy groups around Texas and the United States, not to mention criminal justice committee chair Jerry Madden.

We could never understand what Rick Perry was thinking when he decided to bring in a TDCJ director to head the TYC. With the current record of TDCJ, why would you throw gasoline on an already burning fire? But just as we predicted then, it would soon come to an end, and those TDCJ transplants would do themselves in. And sure enough, they are well on the way. So a word of advise to you TDCJ administrators banking on a cushy gig within TYC. Don't quit your day jobs !

I about fell out of my chair after reading that article. The Back Gate and the TJDO blog sites have started calling Humphrey "Bronco" Billy. Now that's a GFB original.

He has to be the most despised man in TYC right now. Possibly ever. I can't think of anyone who was more hated than this guy, and it seems it's all about what he represents: the occupation of TYC by TDCJ.I'm not there any more (by my choice) so current staff may have a different take.

Nonetheless, I'm glad someone put a stop to it for TYC's sake. Can anyone imagine what it would have been like having more roided up Spong Bobs from TDCJ in your house? Sounds like it almost happened. Good luck TYC.

They need to go. They bring no experience to the juvenile front. Only lockem up....spray them. Heck afterwhile they prolly sleep with the youth just as they sleep with the adult inmates. Get rid of them all including Pope.

Scott - did you see that article in the DMN about Jay Kimbrough? Nice little plush article. But there's one problem. TYC is not fixed and someone ought to let "tha man" know it. I wonder if he's aware of what's going on in that agency, because it aint fixed.

Perry could save face by removing TDCJ from TYC. They need someone with experience working with children, and there are several good candidates out there. Hell, draw from the juvenile probation commission, child protective services, MHMR, and so forth. Do a national search. Recruit the guy up in Ohio. If they'd hire someone not in TDCJ, I think these employees would get their focus back on what they know - problem kids.

But why TDCJ? That was a bone head move. Just ask the TYC staff in your next survey: "Are you better off this year as compared to this time last year?" Watch their response.

I recall reading your blog and reading a comment requesting that the State Auditors Office re-conduct that same survey we gave employees in March 07. I don't think TYC administrators would want us to conduct that same audit, judging by the people commenting here on the state of that agency.

Perry had better do something because this little problem is not going away.

TYC is getting those kids ready for TDCJ.Keep up the good work.TYC had problems long before TDCJ got there.And 5:41 since you are the only one that brought it up you must be raping those kids.I hope all you TYC folks stay with TYC because you can't make it in the adult prison.Now you can talk about me.

I think we need to be careful about using the the TDCJ as in all of TDCJ. There are good people that work hard and try to help people in TDCJ as in TYC. The way we post sometimes it sounds as if we are saying everyone that works for TDCJ is corrupt. For TYC, and TDCJ people, TYC is a different setting and dealing with juvies. What works for adults does not neccessarly work for kids.

TYC has experienced adminstration that has been hired from TDCJ that are trying to use the TDCJ way of life in a TYC system and that is what the problem is at this point. It is like playing basketball with a football it will not work.

Maybe we should be more considerate of our neighbors in TDCJ who are also on the front lines and experiencing the same if not worse treatment as TYC.

I'm a TYC staff and I know there are good people in TDCJ. The problem is, we inherited your shit. The folks who came over can't think outta the box and they dug their heals in and won't listen. Instead, they wiped out the experience, and those people had nothing, NODDA damn thing to do with the scandle. They got a few that did, and that was OK. But come on man, they ruined people's lives. There are good people in TDCJ that belong in TDCJ. I'm not sure this bunch belongs in either.

They don't belong period. Pope has obvioulsy pulled the wool over someone's eyes and they became blind when it came to her. Bad move but outta of our hands. I'm sure TDCJ has good people just like TYC and I'm sorry the bad got mixed up with the good, but now you all know how we felt when we got lumped into the same category as those that caused the sex & coverup scandal!!

When they fired Don Brantly, I knew they were going for numbers. Don was a good man, and good for this agency. He went to CO after the WTSS incident. He was our Superintendent at CRTC. He had high expectations, but they were reasonable. His termination made no sense.

8:44 I am also TYC and I must have not made myself clear. All I am saying is that when we post we need to specify the ones that came over from TDCJ and not say TDCJ by itself. Leaving people or TDCJ staff to think we mean all of TDCJ are worthless. I agree with you 100% on the crap that has happen to us and that it is the fault of those who has caused and still causing us this down fall in TYC. Just pray that the lege will do something before we all lose our jobs to closure of TYC. Did you all see that overtime is back? Should have never been taken away.

Depends on who your talking to about Don. Heard he was in Lufkin at a mental hospital. Working there that is!

Don Brantley was not the second coming, or anything like that; what he is is a competent, reasonably ambitious, and decent individual. He is a licensed Clinical Psychologist, but he had spent his career prior to coming to TYC as a manager of mental health programs. Thus, he understands treatment issues, but he has the managerial competency and experience. He was not even remotely connected with the scandals in TYC. In fact, he was promoted by Linda Reyes to replace Chester Clay, as part of the clean-up act that was already underway in TYC at the time the scandal broke.

As for Linda - I distinctly remember her pounding the table during a video conference and demanding that Superintendents start taking abuse allegations seriously, even when the allegations looked bogus on the surface.

To me, the great shame of the TYC make-over is that some very talented, managerially competent and dedicated people, like Linda R., Don B., Neil N., Emily H.,Pat L. and many others were just swept out the door. One might argue (I don't) that Linda had to go simply because she was the Deputy Exec. Director, but the others? No way! Old Salty

Have to agree with you, spearshaker. Joe, acceptable comments on Grits contain ARGUMENTS, not just smears and slurs. Comments on Grits are deleted at my discretion and/or whimsy. Act like an adult, please, the deleted comment sounds like a racist 15 year old made it.

Grits what do you call 9:37 comments.A Hit list with peoples name's on it.I guess they can say brothas & sistas.We Don't Know!Is this person & his people out to harm these three people.I think you or I should let these people know there is a hit list out on them and there life might be in danger.What the hell I'll call TYC myself and let them know there is a hit list.I'm worried about there safety.

Rivera was composed while appearing before cameras and judges throughout the competition. But once backstage, she had to strip off her clothes and apply ice bags to her face and body, which swelled and broke out in hives twice.

"We thought at first it was an allergic reaction, or maybe nerves," Rosario said. "But the second time, we knew it couldn't have been a coincidence."

Rivera's clothing and makeup later tested positive for pepper spray.Someone also stole Rivera's bag containing her gowns, makeup and credit cards. And a bomb threat forced pageant officials to postpone the last day of competition on Thursday, said Magali Febles, director of the Miss Puerto Rico Universe pageant.Pageant organizers said the hoped to catch and expose whoever was responsible for the pranks. They said, however, they were handling the investigation themselves and police are not involved.

Beauty competitions in the U.S. Caribbean territory — which boasts five Miss Universe titles, second only to the U.S. — are fierce, drawing boisterous audiences and accusations of rigged results.But the pranks under investigation this year are a first, Rosario said.

Rivera, who won Miss World Caribbean in 2005, had been a target of controversy from the start of competition, as rivals complained she was too experienced and should be disqualified.Local media touted her as the likely winner, stoking jealousy among contestants, Rosario said.When Rivera won, rivals accused her of buying the crown, Puerto Rico's El Nuevo Dia newspaper reported.

A tearful Rivera recounted her ordeal at a news conference Sunday, acknowledging she had wavered about staying in the contest.

"At one point I said, 'Am I a masochist?"' she recalled, her voice breaking. "But I said, 'I am with God and this is my goal, regardless of the results."'

Joe, you must be Dementia's nephew, you don't seem to have reading comprehension skills. I don't think the rules can be made any plainer. You seem to be chaos driven, are you sure you are not related to any of the TDCJ regime?

1:25 p.m., I'm with the "VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE" and spreading the word that TYC is in chaos because of the poor decisions made by the Guv and the legislature. It has hurt the youth, parents, employees and taxpayers alike. The MSM should be blitzing all this in the papers. The effort needs to be made to get the word out to all taxpayers about our elected officials. They have been exempt from the law and embarassed the office they were elected to. Some by drinking and driving, some by carrying guns in a prohibted area and some by trying to get bartenders fired for not giving them another drink and so on.

Our elected officials will retire and not hurt for money. The rest of us will have to eke out a living on a monthly pension equivalent to peanuts, if that much! We will pray that we can afford medical care, groceries and a roof over our heads. Think about this!! Was it poor planning, nope, we chose to work for the state and troubled youth of Texas and will receive nothing in return in our old age because we will retire on the last three months of our highest salary (I believe). They will forget our names the day after we quit, get fired or retire. Isn't it sad, and you won't even get an engraved gold watch for the years of dedicated service. Depressing!

To add to our woes, the current leadership is also laughing all the way to bank! As a popular program used to say, "what a fleecing of America", only this is a fleecing of Texas!!!! We need to stand up and be heard, Vote Them Out of Office and then feel proud that you did something good for Texas.

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